| Term | Definition |
|---|
| internal rhyme | rhyme within the same line |
| initial rhyme | repetition of the same sound at the beginning of two or more words following each other or near one another in the same line |
| end rhyme | rhyme of words at end of lines |
| rhyme scheme | description of the pattern of end rhymes in a poem |
| iambic foot | one unstressed symbol followed by one stressed symbol |
| trochiac foot | one stressed symbol followed by unstressed symbol |
| anapestic foot | two unstressed symbols followed by stressed symbol |
| dactylic foot | one stressed symbol followed by two unstressed symbols |
| monometer | one meter of poetry |
| dimeter | two meters of poetry |
| trimeter | three meters of poetry |
| tetrameter | four meters of poetry |
| pentameter | five meters of poetry |
| hexameter | six meters of poetry |
| heptameter | seven meters of poetry |
| octameter | eight meters of poetry |
| scansion | process of analyzing the rhythm of a line or lines of poetry |
| foot | combination of stressed and unstressed symbols |
| metaphor | a comparison between two unlike things |
| simile | a comparison between two unlike things introduced by like or as |
| personification | a figure of speech where animals, ideas or objects are given human characteristics |
| hyperbole | an exaggeration for effect |
| onomatopoeia | (a kind of sound effect) the use of words that imitate sounds |
| alliteration | 2. repetition of the same sound at the beginning of two or more words following each other or near one another in the same line |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds in non-rhyming words |
| consonance | repetition of constant words |
| euphony | the pleasant-sounding and harmonious combination's of words and phrases |
| antithesis | words are made more prominent by placing them in opposition to each other |
| apostrophe | a figure of speech in which a) inanimate objects are spoken to as human beings; b) absent or dead people are spoken to as though they were present |
| metonymy | a figure of speech in which a part of a thing is named that suggests the whole thing to which it belongs |
| irony | a figure of speech in which the ordinary meaning of the word or words used is the opposite of what the reader might have expected |
| cacophony | the use of harsh, disordant sounds in words or phrases |
| blank verse | poetry without rhyme but with a definite rhythm |
| free verse | poetry with an irregular rhythm, usually without rhyme |
| syllable | word or part of word that can be spoken with just one effort of the voice |
| exposition | introductory material or information necessary to the basic understanding of the plot |
| rising action | the events of a dramatic or narrative plot proceeding the climax |
| climax | a moment of great or culmination intensity in a narrative or drama, especially the conclusion of a crisis |
| catastrophe | a great, often sudden calamity |
| dramatic irony | when the audience knows something that the characters do not know |
| protagonist | the main character or lead figure in a novel, play, story, or poem |
| foil | a character with traits contrasting to those of another character, usually the protagonist |
| round character | one who displays many different aspects to his or her character |
| flat character | one who is two-deminsional and represents a single quality |
| conflict | opposition between character |
| theme | unifying idea that is a recurrent element in literary work |
| illusion | a reference to a person, place, or thing in history |
| pun | two different words that sound the same but mean something different |
| double entendre | a word or expression that can be understood two ways |
| oxymoron | figure of speech which opposite or contradictory ideas or terms are combined |
| malapropism | a verbal mistake |
| soliloquy | an utterance by a character who is talking to himself |
| comic relief | humurous or farcical interlude in a serious work |
| aside | words spoken by an actor in such a way that they are heard by the audience but supposedly not by the other actors |
| shakespearean sonnet | sonnet from composed of three quatrains and a final couple with rhyme scheme abab cdcd efef gg |
| empathy | act of identifying with another person in her physical emotional sensations |
| tradgic flaw | a character trait or a weakness in a character that leads to the downfall of the protagonist |
Combine with other sets
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